If you’re running sales or marketing and want to cut through the noise, personalized gifting can actually get people’s attention—if you do it right. Alyce is one of the bigger platforms for this, but their setup isn’t always as smooth as the demo makes it look. This guide is for anyone who needs to launch a campaign in Alyce, doesn’t have hours to waste, and wants to avoid common mistakes that tank results (or just burn budget).
Let’s get straight to it.
1. Get Clear on Why You’re Gifting (and Who Actually Cares)
Before you even log in, nail down these basics:
- What’s the goal? Book more meetings, re-engage cold leads, thank customers, whatever—be specific.
- Who’s your audience? Not just “decision makers.” Who are these people? What do they actually like? If you’re treating a VP of IT and a junior HR manager the same, you’re wasting money.
- What’s your message? Don’t just dangle an Amazon gift card. The gift is the side door; the message is what gets you in.
Pro tip: If you can’t explain (in one sentence) why your gift fits your campaign, stop and rethink it. Alyce gives you options, but personalization is not the same as “pick your own” from a generic catalog.
2. Set Up Your Alyce Account and Get Oriented
Even if you’ve already signed up for Alyce, give yourself 20 minutes to poke around. The UI is a little busy; knowing where things are will save you headaches.
- Admin vs. Sender: Figure out your role. If you’re an admin, you can create campaigns. If not, you’ll need to ask for rights.
- Integrations: Alyce connects with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, and others. If you want data to flow, set this up first—even if it means looping in IT.
- Team Setup: Add anyone who’ll send gifts. Don’t overthink permissions, just make sure people can do what they need.
Watch out for: Alyce’s onboarding tours are… optimistic. You’re better off clicking through each tab yourself. “Settings” hides a lot of important stuff.
3. Create a New Campaign
Here’s where most people get tripped up by options overload. Alyce supports several campaign types: 1-to-1, 1-to-many, event gifting, and swag stores. For most “personalized” campaigns, you want 1-to-1 or 1-to-many.
- Go to Campaigns > Create Campaign
- Pick your type:
- 1-to-1: Super personalized, good for small lists or VIPs.
- 1-to-many: Still allows some personalization, but scales better for a list of, say, 100 prospects.
- Name your campaign: Be specific. “Q3 Outbound - C-level FinTech” beats “New Campaign.”
Ignore: The urge to make a “test” campaign unless you actually plan to send yourself a test gift. Clutter builds fast.
4. Set Your Gift Rules (Don’t Just Pick the Default)
Now you decide what people actually get. The default is a generic marketplace, but that’s not “personalized,” it’s “lazy.”
- Gift options: You can curate a list of gifts, set a price range, or let recipients choose anything. Curated lists work best—pick 3-5 options that actually fit your audience.
- Gift value: Don’t just max out the budget to “stand out.” Too high looks desperate; too low looks cheap. $50–$100 is typical for B2B. Adjust up or down based on your goals.
- Charity and gift cards: Always include a charity option. Gift cards? Up to you, but keep them as a last resort—not everyone wants more stuff.
Pro tip: Dig into Alyce’s recipient insights if you have them. If you know someone likes coffee, add a local roaster—not Starbucks, unless you’re mailing to Seattle.
What to skip: Branded swag, unless you’re sending to existing customers or event attendees. No one wants a stress ball with your logo on it.
5. Build Your Outreach Message
This part matters more than the gift itself. Alyce lets you add a message with each gift—don’t waste this space.
- Keep it short. 3–5 sentences, max.
- Make it about them, not you. Tie the gift to something relevant—an industry trend, a recent win, even a shared interest.
- Include a clear next step. “If you’re open to a chat about X, grab 15 minutes here [link].” No vague “let’s connect.”
Template:
“Saw your recent post on [topic]—love your take. Thought you’d enjoy a pick-me-up on me. If it makes sense to chat about [pain/goal], here’s my calendar. If not, enjoy the coffee!”
Don’t: Overthink formalities. Be human. If it reads like a marketing email, start over.
6. Upload or Sync Your Recipient List
Your campaign can’t run if you don’t get people in the system.
- Manual upload: Alyce takes CSV files. Make sure you have first name, last name, email, company, and any personal notes.
- CRM sync: If you use Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, etc., use Alyce’s integrations. This saves a ton of time but double-check mapping.
- Assign senders: If your team is sending on behalf of reps, assign accordingly.
Watch out for: CRM syncs can create duplicates if your fields don’t match. Always preview the list before sending anything.
7. Double-Check the Details (Seriously, Do This)
Here’s where a lot of campaigns go sideways.
- Gift limits: Make sure you haven’t set the budget too high or too low by mistake.
- Recipient info: Scrub your list for typos—one wrong email and your gift goes nowhere.
- Messages: Preview what the recipient will actually see. Internal notes sometimes slip through.
- Timing: Alyce lets you schedule sends. Avoid weekends and holidays; gifts in inboxes at 7pm on a Friday get ignored.
Pro tip: Send yourself a test gift. You’ll spot weird formatting or awkward phrasing fast.
8. Launch and Monitor (But Don’t Hover)
Hit send, but don’t obsess over real-time dashboards.
- Track acceptance rates: Alyce reports who opens, declines, or accepts gifts.
- Follow up: If someone accepts but doesn’t book a meeting, follow up. If they ignore the gift, don’t keep pestering.
- Adjust as you go: If you see lots of declines, maybe your gift options are off. Change them for the next batch.
Don’t: Assume the gift does all the work. You still need a decent message and a real reason to reach out.
9. Measure Results and Iterate
This is where the rubber meets the road.
- Look at conversion rates: Meetings booked, deals influenced, not just gifts accepted.
- Ask for feedback: If you have a relationship, ask recipients what they thought. You’ll get better ideas for next time.
- Refine your approach: Tweak gift options, messaging, or timing for the next round.
What to ignore: Vanity metrics. It’s easy to get caught up in “gifts accepted,” but if no one actually takes a meeting, rethink your approach.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Human
Personalized gifting with Alyce isn’t magic—it’s a tool. The real impact comes from knowing your audience, offering something thoughtful, and following up like a real person. Don’t let features or endless options distract you from the basics. Start small, see what works, and tweak as you go. Simpler campaigns usually win.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just roll it straight.